Timber Funds Slashed Revenues From Sale Of Federal Timber Down 39 Percent From Last Year
Idaho counties will share $11 million from the sale of federal timber in the state, down by 39 percent or $7.1 million from the amount they got last year.
State Treasurer Lydia Justice Edwards said the reduced payment reflects the lower volume of federal timber being sold in Idaho and a depressed timber market.
Especially hard hit by the shortfall are the counties with large amounts of federal timber land, Valley, Idaho, Gem, Elmore, Custer, Clearwater and Boise.
In North Idaho, Boundary and Benewah counties got slightly more money than last year, while Kootenai, Shoshone and Benewah counties lost revenue.
The federal forest money must be used for county schools, roads and highways. Edwards said since many counties depend on the forest money, they may have to look toward new taxes or increased tax rates to offset the shortfalls.
The treasurer said she expects the payments to continue to shrink because of a continued decline in the amount of timber available from federal land.
“We need to address the fact that our national forest timber sale program is faltering badly at the present time,” she said. “As it stands now, the program is basically reactive and unstable. Until that is accomplished the program itself and the National Forest Fund will continue to decline and Idaho’s counties will be the losers,” she said.
xxxx FEDERAL FOREST PAYMENTS The county-by-county breakdown, with last year’s payment, this year and the percentage difference: Benewah - $59,147, $60,894, +2.8. Bonner - $739,361, $730,916, -1.1. Boundary - $723,654, $741,550, +2.4. Kootenai - $575,656, $467,364, -24. Shoshone - $2,213,441, $2,114,607, -4.7. Ada - $7,184, $2,429, -66.2. Adams - $367,610, $306,682, -19.8. Bannock - $14,553, $8,807, -65.2 Bear Lake - $42,818, $44,417, +3.6. Blaine - $89,914, $57,328, -56.8. Boise - $1,734,462, $587,525, -66.1. Bonneville - $55,836, $51,345, -8.7. Butte - $22,412, $14,691, -52.5. Camas - $59,406, $37,907, -56.7. Caribou - $48,222, $32,244, -49.5. Cassia - $71,144, $45,397, -56.7. Clark - $37,520, $58,305, +35.7. Clearwater - $1,235,949, $804,376, -53.7. Custer - $191,855, $86,457, -55. Elmore - $1,294,647, $445,903, -65.6. Franklin - $26,277, $30,231, +13.1. Fremont - $55,044, $85,925, +35.1. Gem - $121,291, $41,015, -66.2. Idaho - $4,940,987, $2,361,430, -52.2. Jefferson - 11 cents, 17 cents, +35.3. Latah - $174,756, $197,099, +11.3. Lemhi - $327,187, $258,405, -26.6. Lewis - $16, $10, -59.4. Madison - $4,337, $6,770, +35.9. Nezperce - $243, $200, -21.4. Oneida - $12,096, $7,411, -63.2. Power - $6,211, $3,938, -57.6. Teton - $9,207, $14,372, +35.9. Twin Falls - $ 17,012, $10,856, -56.7. Valley - $2,785,247, $1,263,359, -54.6. Washington - $89,119, $74,271, -20.